Invalid lift-transfer chair

ABSTRACT

A chair base structure on casters has four tubular legs with which telescope the uprights of a vertically movable seat structure actuated by the piston and cylinder of a hydraulic lift jack. Pivoted at one end to the seat structure is a tiltable slide support upon which an invalid transfer slide is reciprocably mounted. The rearward uprights of the seat structure are provided with laterally swinging chair arms which enter sockets on the forward uprights and are pivoted to chair-pushing handle bars. A plastic bearing plate placed on the bed assists the operation of the slide in transferring an invalid between the bed and the chair. The slide support is provided with a central opening which enables its use as an auxiliary toilet seat when moved over a toilet bowl.

0 United States Patent [151 3,654,643 Clanan [4 1 Apr. 11, 1972 54] INVALID LIFT-TRANSFER CHAIR 3,244,453 4/1966 Fox ..297/416 [72] Inventor: Wayne N. Clanan, 1458 Burns Avenue, Prima E C A N ry xammer asmir unberg Daron Mlch' 48214 Attorney-Barthel & Bugbee [22] Filed: May 5, 1969 [57] ABSTRACT [2]] Appl. No.: 823,534

A chair base structure on casters has four tubular legs with which telescope the uprights of a vertically movable seat [52] US. Cl ..5/81 B, 5/86, 5/90 structure actuated by the piston and cylinder ofa hydraulic lift [51] Int. Cl. ..A6lg1/02, A6lg 7/10 jack. Pivoted at one end to the seat structure is a tiltable slide [58] Field of Search ..5/8l B, 86, 90; 297/414, 416; support upon which an invalid transfer slide is reciprocably 4/134 mounted. The rearward uprights of the seat structure are provided with laterally swinging chair arms which enter sockets 5 References Cited on the forward uprights and are pivoted to chair-pushing handle bars. A plastic bearing plate placed on the bed assists the UNITED STATES PATENTS operation of the slide in transferring an invalid between the bed and the chair. The slide support is provided with a central Gilleland B p g enables use as an auxiliary toilet Seat when 2,691,782 10/1954 West ..5/81 moved over a toilet bowl- 2,869,614 1/1959 Wamsley ..5/81 X 3,038,174 6/1962 Brown et a1 ..5/90 X 7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 11 I972 WAYNE N CLANAN BY A? f A TORNEYS INVALID LIFT-TRANSFER CHAIR In the drawing,

FIG. I is a perspective view upon an enlarged scale of an invalid lift-transfer chair, according to the invention, with the rearward position of one of the swinging chair arms shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section looking to the left along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section looking to the right along the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section looking rearwardly along the line 44 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded fragmentary side elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of the upper left-hand corner of FIG. 2, with the chair structure elevated and with the chair arm raised;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the invalid transfer slide; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the invalid transfer slide of FIG. 6 inverted to show the roller construction.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIG. 1 shows an invalid lift-transfer chair, generally designed 10, according to one form of the invention as consisting generally of a base structure 12 upon which a seat structure 14 is vertically movable and carries an invalid transfer slide 16 (not shown in FIG. 1 but shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 and individually in FIGS. 6 and 7). Cooperable with the invalid transfer slide 16 is a plastic bearing plate 18 which facilitates the invalid transfer action of the slide 16 between the patients bed 20 and the chair 10. The base structure 12 consists of four hollow tubular vertical legs 22 provided at their lower ends with swivel casters 24 and interconnected at the opposite sides by tubular frame members 26. Welded to the left-hand tubular frame member 26 is a shelf 28 which supports the lower end of a fixed hydraulic piston 30 upon which a vertically movable cylinder 32 of a hydraulic lifting jack 33 is reciprocably mounted. The upper end of the cylinder 32 is welded or otherwise secured to a horizontal bar 34 (FIGS. 2 and 4) which is secured at its opposite end to vertical guide bars 36, to the lower ends of which are secured curved guide pads 38 which mate with and slidably engage the vertical legs 22 as the seat structure 14 is raised and lowered relatively to the base structure 12. The bar 34 is welded or otherwise secured to the undersides of the left-hand pair of coaxial rods 40 separated from one another by a gap within which the rearward end of a tiltable slide support 42 is mounted by means of pivot ears 44 secured thereto and pivotally connected to and between pairs of stationary ears 45 welded to the bar 34.

Vertically slidably mounted within the vertical legs 22 are slide rods 46 (FIG. 1). The two forward rods 46 at their upper ends are fixedly secured to socket cups 48 (FIG. 5) which in turn are secured to the outer ends of the rods 40 as by welding. The right-hand pair of coaxial rods 40 on the right-hand side of the chair 10 are welded at their inner ends to the upper ends of the arms of a vertical U-shaped plate 50. The right-hand forward rod 40 is welded at its forward end to the right-hand socket cup 48, whereas each rearward rod 40 is welded at its rearward end to the vertical portion of an L-shaped handle bar 52, to the lower end of which one of the rearward slide rods 46 is secured. The horizontal upper end portions 54 project rearwardly and serve as handles by which an attendant propels the chair 10.

Vertically-slidably mounted on the handle bars 52 are hearing bushings 56 to which the rearward ends of L-shaped chair arms 58 are welded or otherwise secured. Mounted in the lower ends of the downwardly extending forward portions of the chair arms 58 are pins 60 which are adapted to move into and out of the socket cups 48 (FIG. 5). An inclined strut or brace bar 62 extends from the forward guide bar 36 to the inner side of the U-shaped plate and is welded or otherwise secured at its opposite ends thereto in order to add rigidly to the seat structure 14. A similar but horizontal strut or brace bar 63 extends between and is secured at its opposite ends to the bar 34 and U-shaped plate 50 respectively. The forward and rearward pairs of rods 40 are interconnected by approximately co-planar invalid-supporting seat panels or flexible seat strips 64 of fabric or other suitable material secured at their opposite ends thereto by fasteners 66 and stretched tightly from edge to edge therebetween in spaced parallel relationship. Struts or cross bars 68 are secured to and interconnect the upper ends of the legs 22.

The slide support 42 is mounted in the space between said seat panels 64 at a level therebelow and at its right-hand end is free to swing upward or downward when permitted to do so by the actuating latch 70 (FIGS. 3 and 4). The actuating latch 70 includes a horizontal shaft 72 pivotally mounted to rotate in ears 74 secured to the inner side of the U-shaped plate 50. Welded or otherwise secured to the shaft 72 adjacent the ears 74 are two crank arms 76 with rounded upper ends. Secured to the forward end of the shaft 72 is a hub 78 through which passes a latch hook 80 having at its lower end a handle portion 82 and at its upper end a hook portion 84 which is movable upward and downward to move into or out of a keeper 86 welded or otherwise secured to the inner side of the U-shaped plate 50. As a consequence, when the latch hook 80 is raised sufficiently to lift its hook portion 84 out of its keeper 86 and is then swung counterclockwise to rotate the shaft 72 counterclockwise and swing the crank arms 76 upward, the slide support 42 is permitted to tilt downward around its pivot ears 44 so that its right-hand end moves downward within the opening 88 and comes to rest upon the upper edge of the lower portion thereof as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4. The slide support 42 is provided with a central opening 90 (FIG. 1) which enables it to serve as an auxiliary toilet seat for the invalid when the chair 10 is moved over the toilet bowl.

The invalid transfer slide 16 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is disposed in the space between said seat panels 64 and substantially coplanar therewith (FIGS. 2 and 3). It consists of a horizontal base portion 92 which at its forward and rearward ends is provided with axles 94 passing through pairs of slots 96 in which rollers 98 are mounted on the axle 94 so as to project downward from the bottom surface 100 of the base 92 of he slide 16. An inverted U-shaped handle 102 is secured at its lower end to the base 92 for enabling the operator to move the slide 16 back and forth between the slide support 42 and the plastic bearing plate 18 resting on top of the bed 20. The plastic plate 18 may conveniently be made of methyl methacrylate, known familiarly under the trade name of Plexiglas."

In the operation of the invention, let it be assumed that the invalid is lying on top of the bed 20 and is to be transferred to the chair 10. The invalids buttocks are lifted sufiiciently to place beneath them the plastic bearing plate 18 and to push the transfer slide 16 beneath them while resting on the plate 18. The operator raises the arm 58 and swings it rearwardly into the dotted line position of FIG. 1, and then moves the right-hand side of the carriage 10 next to the bed 20. He next operates the foot pedal (not shown) to actuate the hydraulic jack 33 and cause the seat structure 14 to rise relatively to the base structure 12 until the slide support 42 is at the level of the plastic plate 18 as shown in FIG. 4. The operator then grasps the handle 102 of the slide 16 and while the invalid has been caused to assume a sitting position thereon, pulls it and the invalid supported upon it from the plastic plate 18 onto the slide support 42 until the slide 16 is completely over the support 42. During the procedure, the actuating latch 70 is in its supporting position with the cam arms 76 locked in their vertical positions shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. The operator, by grasping the handles 54 moves the chair 10 away from the bed 20 and then swings the arm 58 into its forward position with its pin 60 lowered into its respective socket cup 48. The chair is then capable of transferring the invalid in any desired direction, rolling upon the casters 24.

If the invalid desires to go to the toilet, the chair 10, with him on the slide 16 resting on the slide support 42, is moved into position so that the opening 90 of the slide support 42 is directly over the toilet bowl. The operator then instructs the invalid to support himself on the forward and rearward fabric seat strips while the operator by means of the handle 82 of the actuating latch 70 raises the hook 84 out of its keeper 86 and then swings the handle 82, shaft 72 and cam arms 76 rearwardly in counterclockwise direction, thereby permitting the slide 16 and slide support 42 to tilt downward until the latter rests upon the U-shaped plate 50, as shown in the inclined dotted lines in FIG. 4. The slide 16 is next moved out from beneath the invalid by means of the handle 102 and slid underneath the left-hand arm 58. The latch book 80 is then swung in a clockwise direction to similarly rotate the shaft 72 and cam arms 76 which thereby lift the right-hand end of the slide support 42 up to its horizontal position shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The invalid is then free to use the slide support 42 as an auxiliary toilet seat. At the conclusion thereof, the foregoing operations are reversed, so that while the invalid is supporting himself upon the seat strips 64, the actuating latch 70 is operated to again lower the slide support 42 so that the transfer slide 16 can again be inserted beneath the patient, as shown by the dotted lines in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The actuating latch 70 is again operated to swing the slide support 42 upward and lock in its horizontal position, whereupon the invalids buttocks are supported henceforth upon the transfer slide 16.

To transfer the invalid back to the bed 20, the chair is again moved adjacent the bed as shown in FIG. 4, the plastic bearing plate 18 is again placed on the bed 20, and the invalid while in an upright position sitting on the transfer slide 16 is moved thereom from the slide support 42 to the bearing plate 18 by means of the handle 102. The invalids buttocks are then raised to permit the transfer slide 16 to be moved back upon the slide support 42 and to remove the bearing plate 18. The invalid can then relax upon the bed 20. It will be understood that for the sake of comfort, the transfer slide 16 may have a cover thereon with or without padding (not shown).

Furthermore, if the hospital or other institution does not desire the feature of the slide support 42 also serving as an auxiliary toilet seat in the manner described above, the opening 90 may be omitted, in which case the hydraulic jack 33 is moved from its side position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to a central position under the seat structure 14 supported on suitable cross members (not shown) extending between the legs 22 or connecting members 26, as is most convenient. The central position of the hydraulic jack 33 is mechanically superior to the side position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in that it is not required to exert a cantilever action upon the seat structure 14 in raising and lowering the latter and consequently requires less bracing in its central position than in its side position.

It will also be evident that the present invention is very useful in transferring an invalid from his bed to the bathtub and vice versa. In its use in transferring an invalid to and from the toilet, the slide 16 is preferably removed before the chair reaches the toilet bowl, because of the possibility of the latter being an obstacle to its removal after the slide support 42 has been positioned over the toilet bowl.

I claim:

1. An invalid transfer chair for moving an invalid to and from a bed, said chair comprising a base structure having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with casters on the lower ends thereof and with vertical guide portions associated therewith, a seat structure having a plurality of spaced vertical uprights disposed adjacent said legs and having vertical guided portions engaging said guide portions, mechanism mounted on said base structure in engagement with said seat structure for raising and lowering said seta structure relatively to said base structure, said seat structure having thereon a pair of approximately co-planar invalid-supporting seat panels extending from edge to edge thereacross in spaced parallel relationship to one another,

said seat structure also having a laterally-disposed slide support mounted thereon and extending thereacross in the space between said seat panes at a level therebelow, and an invalid transfer slide disposed in the space between said seat panels in substantially co-planar relationship therewith and in sliding engagement with said slide support and separable therefrom for travel relatively thereto between said slide support and bed onto and off of the slide support and bed.

2. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said slide support is pivotally connected at one end to one edge of said seat structure and is tiltable upward and downward relatively to the opposite edge thereof.

3. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 2, wherein there is provided mechanism on said seat structure operatively engaging said slide support at a location near the free end thereof spaced laterally away from its pivotal connection to said seat structure for tilting said slide support relatively to said seat structure.

4. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 3, wherein said mechanism includes a rotary shaft with a cam member operatively connected thereto and engageable with said slide support, and with a handle operatively connected to said shaft.

5. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 3, wherein said mechanism includes a latch device constructed and arranged to lock said slide support in its uppermost position.

6. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said legs and said uprights include forward and rearward pairs thereof, and wherein chair arms are pivotally mounted on the rearward pair of uprights for horizontal arcuate swinging thereon around said rearward pair of uprights into and out of engagement with the forward pair of uprights.

7. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said transfer slide has rollers thereon engageable with said slide support, and wherein there is provided a substantially rigid separate bearing plate adapted to be placed on top of the bed in alignment with said slide support for slidably receiving and supporting said transfer slide temporarily during transfer of the invalid on the slide between the bed and said seat structure. 

1. An invalid transfer chair for moving an invalid to and from a bed, said chair comprising a base structure having a plurality of spaced vertical legs with casters on the lower ends thereof and with vertical guide portions associated therewith, a seat structure having a plurality of spaced vertical uprights disposed adjacent said legs and having vertical guided portions engaging said guide portions, mechanism mounted on said base structure in engagement with said seat structure for raising and lowering said seta structure relatively to said base structure, said seat structure having thereon a pair of approximately coplanar invalid-supporting seat panels extending from edge to edge thereacross in spaced parallel relationship to one another, said seat structure also having a laterally-disposed slide support mounted thereon and extending thereacross in the space between said seat panels at a level therebelow, and an invalid transfer slide disposed in the space between said seat panels in substantially co-planar relationship therewith and in sliding engagement with said slide support and separable therefrom for travel relatively thereto between said slide support and bed onto and off of the slide support and bed.
 2. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said slide support is pivotally connected at one end to one edge of said seat structure and is tiltable upward and downward relatively to the opposite edge thereof.
 3. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 2, wherein there is provided mechanism on said seat structure operatively engaging said slide support at a location near the free end thereof spaced laterally away from its pivotal connection to said seat structure for tilting said slide support relatively to said seat structure.
 4. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 3, wherein said mechanism includes a rotary shaft with a cam member operatively connected thereto and engageable with said slide support, and with a handle operatively connected to said shaft.
 5. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 3, wherein said mechanism includes a latch device constructed and arranged to lock said slide support in its uppermost position.
 6. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said legs and said uprights include forward and rearward pairs thereof, and wherein chair arms are pivotally mounted on the rearward pair of uprights for horizontal arcuate swinging thereon around said rearward pair of uprights into and out of engagement with the forward pair of uprights.
 7. An invalid lift-transfer chair, according to claim 1, wherein said transfer slide has rollers thereon engageable with said slide support, and wherein there is provided a substantially rigid separate bearing plate aDapted to be placed on top of the bed in alignment with said slide support for slidably receiving and supporting said transfer slide temporarily during transfer of the invalid on the slide between the bed and said seat structure. 